Ex-nuke reactor director tapped to manage Defense Ministry
Despite his controversial military career, Udi Adam is the ‘right man’ for the job, says defense minister
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon appointed Udi Adam as the new director-general of the Defense Ministry on Tuesday to replace the outgoing Dan Harel.
Adam served in a variety of defense-related positions in his decades-long career, including a five-year stint as director of the nuclear research reactor in Dimona.
Adam, a major general in reserves in the Israel Defense Forces, also served as head of the Northern Command during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. He came under fire in that position for his handling of the campaign and was reportedly forced out of his position toward the end of the conflict by then-IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz.
Nevertheless, Ya’alon in his official announcement on Tuesday, voiced supreme confidence in Adam’s abilities.
“The Defense Ministry faces a number of serious challenges in a variety of areas,” Ya’alon said, citing the IDF’s Gideon plan and the ongoing negotiations with the United States over a military aid package.
“Over the past few weeks I have considered a number of suitable candidates for the position, and I have arrived at the conclusion that Udi Adam is the right man at this time to lead us successfully through these challenges,” Ya’alon said.
He will replace Harel, who has served in the position since 2013.
Since 2013, Adam has served as the director of Israel Military Industries, a large weapons manufacturer that develops equipment for the IDF and militaries around the world.
Before being named to the position, Adam was vetted and approved by both an appointments committee and the cabinet, the Defense Ministry said in its statement.
The Second Lebanon War, during which Adarm served as head of the Northern Command, is considered by many in the IDF, and Israel in general, to have been an overall failure and a turning point in the army’s history.
The Winograd Commission, which was created to investigate the war, found that the campaign was marred by logistical failures and lacked a clear end strategy.
Before the war had officially ended, Halutz appointed Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinksy to take over the Northern Command from Adam, who was effectively left without a position.
